Fire-escape.



J. KRASMER.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. e, 1908.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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; 3141mm for J. KRASMER.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED 001s, 190s.

927,056. Patented July 6,1909.

2 SHEETS8HBET 2.

anuemfoz JOHN KRASMER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Application filed October 6, 1908. Serial No. 456,381.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KnAsMnn, citizen of the United States of America, residing in Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire escapes and particularly to an automatically controlled device having a car adapted to descend by gravity when loaded, means being also provided for the car to ascend after the load has been discharged.

An object of this invention is to provide a car of the character noted. and in connection therewith, means for controlling the movement of the car in order that the said car may be arrested at any one of a series of windows or openings in a structure to which the fire escape is applied; furthermore, an object of the invention is to provide a car and in connection therewith a spring motor in which the movement of the car communicates motion to the spring for increasing the tension of the spring in order that the spring may act to elevate the car when the load is removed therefrom.

A still further object of this invention is to provide novel means for winding the spring independently of the car actuated mechanism in order that the tension of the spring may be increased at the will of an operator so that the car may be carried to the full height of the guides. This last mentioned device is intended to increase the tension of the spring should it become weakened or otherwise fail to carry the car to the highest window.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had. to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, in which- Figure 1, illustrates a sectional view of a building showing the fire escape applied thereto, a portion of the fire escape being broken away to show parts of the mechanism in elevation; Fig. 2, illustrates an elevation. of the front of the fire escape, parts being in section; Fig. 3, is a top plan view of the motor, the same being partly in section;

Fig. 4, illustrates a vertical sectional view of the motor shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, is a detail plan view of the car carrying device showing the means for bracing the guides thereof; and Fig. 6, is a sectional view of one of the traveling sleeves showing the application of a ball bearing for the purpose of reducing friction.

In these drawings A, denotes the structure to be provided with the fire escape, and B, is a vertically disposed shaft back of the front wall thereof, said shaft being journaled at its bottom as shown at C. The shaft is partially rotatable and has a series of recesses D, in its side in which the arms E, are pivoted, the said arms being adapted to extend beyond the face of the building into the path of travel of a car of the fire escape in order that the said. car may be arrested if it is permitted to strike an arm. As shown in Fig. 1, the car is about to strike the lower arm but if the occupant of a window above the lower arm desires the car to ascend to his window, he can partially rotate the shaft B, in order to carry the arm out of the path of travel of the car and when it has passed the said car, the spring will return the shaft to its normal position if the operator will release the arm in which event the car will travel to the next succeeding arm and will be arrested by it unless the shaft is manipulated through the medium. heretofore indicated.

A base G, is preferably embedded under the sidewalk and contains a motor to be hereinafter referred to. Two casings or hollow columns H, rest on the base and extend preferably parallel with the face of the building and have their upper ends connected to a bracket I, projecting from the face of the building. The coluniins are suitably held by means of brace-arms F projecting from the wall of the building and are provided with longitudinally disposed slots J, J, in which the shanks K, K, of the sleeves L, L, travel, the said sleeves L, L, being internally threaded and preferably having balls, Z, therein in order to reduce the friction. The shanks K, K, of the sleeves are attached to a car M, designed to travel longitudinally of the columns and to carry passengers who may gain access thereto through the windows of a building.

The car M, has brackets N, attached preferably to the upper edge thereof, the said brackets having their ends extending into the slots J, and carrying thereon members which engage worms 0, rotatably mounted in the columns H. The sleeves L, also embrace the said worms and hence as the car moves vertically, motion is communicated to the said worms causing them to rotate. The arms or brackets N, act as braces to support the outer end of the car and serve to prevent binding of the sleeves and worms. The lower ends of the worms 0, are journaled in bearings I on the bottom of the base and balls Q, are preferably provided for the purpose of reducing the friction and to permit the worms to rotate freely.

In order to return the car to the top of the frame of the fire escape formed by the columns II, and bracket I, a spring motor is pro vided in. the base, said spring motor having a gear wheel R, meshing with pinions S, S, on the worms 0, O, and taking motion therefrom. The casing W, has a post to which one end of the spring T, is connected while the other end of said spring is attached to the shaft u, with which the gear wheel It, is rotated. iiovement of the gear wheel in one direction will, therefore, wind the spring to increase its tension, which action takes place as the car descends and causes the rotation of the worms 0, which worms communicate motion to the gear wheel through the medium. of the pinions S. VVhen, however, the weight is removed from the car, the energy stored in the spring is suiiicient to rotate the gear wheel It, in the opposite direction, and the car is elevated. This action of the motor will take place automatically, that is to say, the spring will be wound upon the descent of the car and the car will be elevated again on the removal of the load which caused the car to descend. Should, however, the spring of the motor become weakened so that it will not elevate the car to a predetermined height, the said spring may be wound through the medium of a ratchet mechanism comprising a ratchet wheel V, which is"secured to the casing IV and revo- 1 luble on the shaft u, and a rack-bar X, free to reciprocate in the guides y, y, under the influence of the handle Z. The rack-bar is held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by means of the spring 9;, and as shown in the drawing, the handle Z, may move longitudinally or transversely of the base. When moved longitudinally of the base, it reciprocates the rack-bar and causes it to rotate the ratchet wheel, but if the handle is moved transversely of the base, the rack-bar is disengaged from the teeth of the ratchet wheel and the spring is then free to operate for the purpose of turning the gear wheel R.

I11 order to hold the ratchet wheel against movement while the rack-bar is reciprocating, a detent c, is pivoted on the bracket bearing U, said bracket being suitably anchored or held rigid by securing the same to the base G, and has a link r, connected to the rack-bar X, therefore so long as the handle is operated longitudinally of the base, the rackbar will wind the spring but if the handle is pressed transversely of the base, the rack-bar and detent will both disengage the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The detent is held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by means oi the spring if.

The brackets at the top are provided with builers B which are abutted by the studs B on the car when the car has reached the limit. of its upward movement. This arrangement provides for the absorption of the shock caused by the arresting of the car.

I claim 1. In a fire escape, vertically disposed worms, a car having a connection with the worms whereby movement of the car communicates motion to the worms, and a spring motor wound by the rotation of the worms.

2. In a iire escape, vertically disposed worms, casings therefor, sleeves threaded on the worms, a car carried by the sleeves, and a motor having means for storing energy by the rotation of the worms, the said energy being utilized to rotate the worms in the opposite direction when the means for rotating the worms in the first mentloned direction are removed.

3. In a fire escape, worms vertically mounted, sleeves threaded thereon, a car carried by the sleeves, whereby the descent of the car rotates the worms in one direction, a motor having means for storing energy occasioned by the rotation of the worms, said means being utilized for elevating the car when the weight in the car is removed.

4. In a fire escape, rotating members, a car supported in direct sliding engagement by the rotating members, whereby motion will be communicated to the rotating members when the car descends, and means for automatically communicating motion to the rotating members for causing the ascent of car.

5. In a the escape, worms vertically mounted, sleeves thereon, a car supported by the sleeves, a spring motor to which the worms are geared, whereby the rotation of the worms winds the spring of the motor when the car descends and the unwinding of the spring of the motor rotates the worms in an.

opposite direction and elevates the car.

6. In a fire escape, worms vertically mounted, a car moving longitudinally of the worms and communicating motion thereto, means for arresting the car at predetermined intervals, and means for permitting the move ment of the arresting devices whereby they may be drawn out of the path of travel of the car.

7. In a fire escape, worms vertically mounted, sleeves thereon, a car supported by the sleeves, a spring motor to which the worms are geared, so that the rotation of the worms winds the spring of the motor when the car descends, and whereby the unwinding of the opposite direction and elevates the car, and means for increasing the tension of the spring.

In a lire escape ,worms vertically mounted, sleeves thereon, a car supported by the sleeves, a spring motor to which the worms are geared, so that the rotation of the worms winds the spring 01' the motor when the car descends, and whereby the unwinding of the spring of the motor rotates the worms in an opposite direction and elevates the car, and means for manually increasing the tension of the spring.

9. In a lire escape a car, members with respring of the motor rotates the worms in an E lation to which the car travels, means for operating said members to move the car, said means comprising a spring motor having a shalt, a ratchet wheel rigid with the motor and revoluble on the shaft, a rack-bar for 20 rotating the ratchet wheel, a detent for holding the ratchet wheel, and means for simultaneously releasing the rack-bar and (letent.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN KRASMER.

Witnesses JosEPH ltrnolwrcz, JOSEPH BROZNOWICZ. 

